by Dale Mayer
She gasped. "You're bad guys?"
The leader laughed scornfully. "You don't know what you're talking about."
But silence was falling around them as her statement filtered through her group. Serus stepped up beside her. "What did you say?" His voice was harsh.
"I'm thinking that these guys, all or some, are benefiting from vampire enhancements." She pointed to the second-in-command, who was slowly losing what little color he had left. One hand was slapped over the slowly leaking wound.
"He sizzled, steamed when the stake went in. It's not like he screamed and then fell down bleeding. Instead, he's got like a slow poisoning going on."
"They are silver stakes," David murmured from behind her.
"Humans aren't poisoned by silver. It's toxic, but only slightly. Not like how it is for us vampires."
David turned to study the humans.
"They don't look like the others."
"They can't. Their basic foundation is human."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Another member of the team stepped forward. "Do we look like we're half-vampire for Christ's sake? What kind of idiot talk is this?"
"Maybe not yet," she snarled. "But how do you explain his physical reaction to the silver spike?"
"How do you know that it isn't a normal reaction?" He laughed. "Hell, we haven't ever seen a silver spike. How would we know what would happen?"
He motioned to the injured man. "And besides, the tip was likely poisoned. That would make more sense."
Tessa didn't have an answer to that. She continued to study the team. Could they all be humans but in the process of joining up? Or were already getting some of the enhancements? Maybe they were the human guinea pigs – and they didn't even know about it.
She caught the injured man's gaze with her own, peering into his eyes, willing him to give up something helpful. Then she saw it. A waver in his energy. A shimmer of something off.
Now she took a step back and shifted her vision as she sorted through the energy swirling around them. With everyone standing so close, it was almost impossible to separate the energy from person to person.
Or from vamp to vamp.
Jesus.
Cody, pull the elders back. I'm trying to look at the energy and it is damn near impossible with them standing so close to the humans.
If you think that will help. I think it's too late for that.
Yeah, it probably is, but let me try. It might help me understand what's going on.
Do you really think they are bad?
No. I'm not sure. There's just something...wrong about them.
Wrong?
She shrugged. Yeah, but maybe not the way I'm thinking, she added in frustration. Damn it, why didn't I take a closer look before?
Take it easy. You're tired and worn out. You can't do everything.
Maybe but talk about shitty timing.
She retreated several steps from Jared, trying to get the energy to separate. But it was all mixed up. Blending. She studied the humans. To see how different their energy was from the vampires. She'd seen Jared's and recognized it. She'd seen her friends' energies, Catherine and Jill, when she'd found them in their beds. But she hadn't been looking for differences between their energies and that of the vamps. The thought hadn't crossed her mind. Now she only had Jared as a comparison. And his should be normal, except he'd been drugged. And that would have affected him.
"What is she doing?"
Tessa ignored the human's question. It was hard enough to figure out the energy with all the distractions going on. To answer him would split her focus yet again. She squatted down, hoping to find some clarity in the mishmash of colors.
Nope. Not going to happen. The energy was everywhere and mixed to the point where she couldn't separate them. What was the chance she could separate the injured man's energy from the others?
She blinked as the energy in front of her pooled and then swirled in a dark vortex type of pattern.
What the hell?
Tessa? What can you see?
I don't know, she murmured. It's really weird.
Human energy is weird? Cody asked.
Well no, it's not just that, but there's also a blackness here.
A blackness like your tracking device? he asked cautiously.
She shook her head violently. No, bigger, much bigger. Almost like a storm swirling here. I can't see why or where it's sourced from, but it's all over the humans.
Cody walked over to stand beside her and stare at the humans glaring at them. Several shuffled restlessly.
The leader called out, "What's going on here?"
Goran smiled. "Our tracker has found something...odd with your energy."
"Energy?"
"Tracker?" Seth asked, confused, as he tried to stand up.
The leader stepped forward then turned to look back at his team. "What are you seeing? What's wrong with them?"
"I'm not sure," Tessa said frowning, "But something is."
She straightened and walked around the side of the small group. "Have you guys eaten or drank anything since you came into the mine?"
The leaders shook his head. "No."
"That's not true," said the second-in-command, on the floor with his hand still over his injury. "We had water."
"Sure, but we brought that ourselves."
Cody asked, "Sealed bottles? Ones you know couldn't have been tampered with?"
"Yeah." But the leader was starting to look worried. "You don't think we were slipped anything, do you?"
"I do, just not sure how. With so much downed bits and pieces she struggled to make her way to the back of the room." She turned to Jared. "Jared, you have an old film of this same blackness. It's not damaging your system at this point but it might have at the time."
Jared frowned at her." What are you talking about?"
She shrugged. "There is a black mist to your energy. I'm presuming it came from when you were a prisoner here."
He stared down at his feet then held his arms out. "I don't see anything."
"That doesn't mean it's not there. Everything that happens to us is reflected in our energy. I'm only just seeing the impact on the energy waves." She brushed the loose hairs away from her forehead. "A week ago I'd have said I was crazy too. But time has changed many things."
"I'll say," muttered David. "Sis, can you tell where the blackness is coming from?" He motioned to the team standing on alert, a growing anger rumbling through the group. "They look like they need a little more convincing."
Tessa studied their human faces. "Did you get shots before coming up here? For protection against gases, diseases from these hanging bodies...anything?"
The leader's face darkened. "Everyone did because of the many medical issues and possible exposure to something we'd never seen before. It was a general issue immune booster."
"Was taking it a choice?" she asked curiously.
He shook his head. "I don't know, but we all wanted whatever protection was available." He shrugged. "Who knew what we'd find in here?"
"And who gave you the shots?"
He narrowed his gaze at her. "One of the medics."
She nodded casually, then took a deep breath and asked, "And did you know this medic - personally?"
"No, of course not. Besides, I rarely go to any medic." He glared at her. "Most of us would rather do five hundred push ups than go to medical."
"Right." David groaned in humor. "So male humans and vamps have something else in common."
"How were you informed of this shot?"
One of the other men stepped forward, anger...or maybe fear, turning his face a blustery red. "What the hell kind of difference does it make? A human doctor gave us a shot to protect us." He motioned with his gun to the large group of vampires gathered around them. "Anything you say is just to turn us against our own kind." He growled to his leader. "Enough already, damn it."
"Ea
sy, Tom. We don't know what she's talking about."
"So what? She's just twisting things around. She don't know nuttin."
A third man jumped in. "But what if she does? There is no doubt that something is wrong with Greg."
"He's been stabbed by a vampire stake, what the hell do you expect?"
"I expected blood and tissue damage, and a lot of pain," Tessa snapped, glaring at them, and smarting inside from having her opinion discounted. "I don't expect a slow hissing like a vampire would experience, or the blackening of the skin around the wound, or the slow poisoning that your friend is experiencing."
She walked closer to Greg, but the men jumped in front of her to stop her from getting too close. She motioned to their fallen teammate. "Surely this is not normal. This has vampire tampering all over it. Now I don't know if there was something in the shot you were given before you came into the mine or if you all willingly signed up for vampire enhancements, but your friend isn't just injured. He's dying."
*.*.*
Cody watched as Tessa glared the humans into stepping aside. She had guts, that girl. Just maybe no brains. Although her parents had bragged about her school marks, it was easy enough to achieve high scores when you were up against a mentally challenged race. And as he watched the army open their ranks to let her approach their fallen friend, he realized they really were not the brightest.
Then they did something that made his blood run cold. They closed ranks around her, completely engulfing her inside their group.
Goran growled.
Serus hissed.
Cody moved.
*.*.*
Shock slammed into Serus as he watched the humans completely enclose Tessa. He stepped forward and barely missed getting hit by Cody as he barrelled into the first human like a bowling ball.
Two stumbled out of the way, swearing. Several others raised their guns and pointed them at Cody.
Goran growled, "You don't want to do that."
The leader snorted. "He attacked us."
"You surrounded Tessa," Goran snapped. Serus only listened to the byplay with half an ear. He focused on Cody's attempt to reach Tessa. He was knocked back by one of the men, so he retaliated by grabbing that man’s hand and squeezing it like putty. Screams rent the air and chaos resumed.
"Stop it. All of you." Tessa's frustrated voice screamed from the center of the body pileup. "We are not enemies. Now everyone stand back."
"Or else what?" mocked one of the men standing close to her. Serus turned on him, only to see him collapse soundlessly to the ground.
"What the hel—"
"I don't want to hurt anyone, but I will if you continue to attack or act in an aggressive manner," Tessa snarled, standing over the unconscious human. "Now stop pointing those damn guns at us."
"You just knocked one of my best guys out and you expect us to not fight back?" The leader’s voice had gone past pissed off and straight into that fine line between panic and terror.
"I wouldn't have had to if you'd just listened." She sighed and stepped over to the prone man she'd flattened.
It was on the tip of Serus's tongue to ask his daughter what the hell she'd done – especially when she hadn't even touched the man. He'd been watching her at the time. So how had she taken out the man so quickly and so silently?
"Damn." Goran muttered at his best friend. "How did she do that?"
"I have no idea," he muttered back, "But you can bet I'm going to find out."
"Whoa, she's full of surprises. Talk about being our hidden weapon in this mess."Goran, laughter rumbling through him, grabbed his arm before he could take a step. "Look at Cody – he doesn't know what to think."
If the situation wasn't so serious, Serus would have grinned. Cody stood in the middle of the human group, staring at the downed man in shock before switching his gaze to Tessa, who was crouched at his side.
Even as they all watched, Tessa waved her hand in front of his face and the man woke up.
He took one look at her and scrambled backwards, his face twisted in fear. "Get away from me."
"Sure, no problem." Gracefully, she stood up and took several steps back. Serus watched Cody grab her around the waist and tuck her up against him while he glowered at the humans. He tried to tug her back toward Serus, but Tessa was having none of it.
She stepped forward toward the human she'd been trying to reach in the first place. After a moment, Cody followed.
Serus shook his head.
"What the hell is she up to?"
"I don't know. By now I wouldn't put anything past her. She's good, Serus. She's damn good."
That had been a crazy energy trick. How she'd managed to knock the guy out and bring him back to consciousness was wonderful. Without thinking, she'd reached a hand in his direction and temporarily halted the pulsing energy going to his heart. Now if only she could repeat it.
You did what? Cody's ominous voice pounded into her head.
Geez, knock the volume down, will you, she complained. You're giving me a hell of a headache.
Did you give the guy a heart attack?
She frowned and stared at the man now standing up, safely surrounded by the rest of his team.
I don't think so. She shrugged. But I don't know. Maybe? I see things differently now. After being stabbed with the silver spike. Clearer. Brighter. And...well, I see the energy differently.
Jesus. Silence. You're scary sometimes, you know that?
Me? She shot him a worried look. Why? I just wanted to shift the power struggle.
Yeah, but you do realize you weren't touching him you when you did that energy trick
I was close though, she said, Wasn't I?
Obviously you were close enough. Maybe your energy went past your arm to do the job for you. He shook his head. And that's just not possible.
But wasn’t it?
She might have let loose a bit more energy than usual. Every movement caused an energy trail so if she'd moved her arm, it would have left a trail. And in this case, it's as if she'd sent that trail to do what her arm couldn't. She shifted her position so she could view the man's chest. Sure enough, there were little bits and pieces of her energy in his heart chakra. She might not have understood what would happen, but it had happened the way she'd wanted it to.
And waking him up? How did you do that?
I scooped back some of my interfering energy, she admitted. And I wasn't sure that would work either.
You are full of surprises.
Maybe. But did it help or hurt?
She walked closer to Greg, the injured soldier, studying his energy. Could she scoop some of the blackness away? Would that even help?
It's worth a try. If you could help him, it might restore the atmosphere around here a bit. We're getting nowhere and I want to get the hell out of here.
So do I. She took several more steps. Two humans stood up in front of the injured man. She walked around them. He didn't look so good, like he was dying from a slow acting poison. She stretched out a hand and gently reached into the blackness and scooped way a cloud. Then another and another.
She did it several more times until the energy looked almost normal. The spike needed to come out. She could remove the blackness, but more was forming even as she understood it was coming from the spike.
As if responding to her thoughts, Cody reached forward and pulled the spike out.
The man gave a strangled scream and the others came running. Tessa continued to scoop away the heavy congestion of blackness, hoping it would soon stop.
"What is she doing?"
"She...is trying to help him."
"He'll bleed to death now most likely. Should have left the damn thing in to plug the hole."
Sure enough, a slow sluggish pool of blood welled out of the injury and ran slowly down his chest.
She frowned and scooped faster. Then stopped. On instinct, she reached out her index finger and plugged the ho
le. There was a slight hissing sound. She poured her own energy into the injury and forced the blackness out. Slowly, the darkness faded and her lighter energy blended with his.
He's still sick, but he should start to feel better now.
She stepped back and watched a more normal color came over the man's skin. "That's better."
"Hey, the bleeding has stopped."
Did you do that? Cody asked curiously.
I think so.
The others rushed to surround their injured man and she backed up several steps. She turned to face her own group, beaming with satisfaction. She'd actually helped someone. Like really helped.
And caught Seth's glare.
And the hatred in his eyes.
Her steps faltered. Her stomach dropped. Her heart squeezed tight. She whispered painfully, "Why, Seth? Why do you hate me so?"
*.*.*
Jared backed up to the edge of an invisible line between the two groups. He wasn't sure what was going on or how Tessa was doing what she was doing, but a part of him wanted nothing to do with either group. They were both scary in their own way. As much as he liked Tessa, what she could do...
Jesus. He wondered if Jill and Catherine knew about her, about her skills? Did anyone know? They'd have a lot to talk about when they got out of this mess and life returned to normal – if the teens had been saved.
There were so many different groups wandering through this damn place, he had no idea. He doubted that Tessa had forgotten about them. But Seth certainly dominated her mind at the moment. Not having a brother himself, he couldn’t pretend to understand what it meant. But he didn't understand Seth at the moment. He'd been controlled and detached in the car ride to the blood farm, but now he was positively glowing with hatred. For his part, Jared hoped none of it was directed at him. Humans were at a disadvantage against the vamps – especially a human with no skills training.
But then why would Seth have allowed Jared to return to the mine – had even given him a ride – if he'd hated him? Unless Seth was part of this nasty group and wanted Jared back in the blood farm. If that was the case though, why was Seth still here if blasts were set to go off?